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Jump training is a series of exercises that help improve jumping height. The exercises are based around training muscles to exert powerful forces in the shortest interval of time. This speed and power combination allows the athlete to increase their vertical jumping ability.

Jump training and "plyometrics" are often used interchangeably, but it should be noted that plyometrics are only a part of jump training.

Since plyometrics is used as part of this training, a brief understanding of its history will help with understanding the methods used here.

There are essentially two forms of “plyometrics” that have evolved. It was first developed in the Soviet Union and later adapted in the United States. The Soviet version is better understood as the “shock method”. Here, the athlete drops from a height and upon landing experiences a “shock” which in turn brings on an involuntary eccentric contraction of the muscles that is immediately switched to a concentric contraction as the athlete jumps upward. Landing and takeoff are executed with the shortest possible isometric time period.

The plyometrics seen mainly in the United States is done using any and all forms of jumping with little regard to execution time. It is basically the practice of jumping which can not truly be consider equivalent to the shock methods used in the very effective Soviet training. Although, the term “plyometrics” was coined by an American, it is not the same type of training.

With that history known, the “plyometric” portions of the training used in this method is a hybrid of the two versions with the major portion of the training being the “shock method”.

As you will see, there are also other exercises needed to improve jumping that do not involve either method of plyometrics.

Below is a group of sample videos that touch on the phases of jumping. Other exercises are displayed in later sections.

Eccentric Phase (loading phase)-

The ecccentric phase occurs when the muscles lengthen under contraction. This is a contraction that is used to load the muscles prior to jumping as well as decelerate the body upon landing.

Isometric Phase (coupling phase)-

The isometric phase occurs between the eccentric and concentric phases, therefore is also termed the "coupling phase", meaning: to join together for combined effort. There is no visible movement at the joint. There is no muscle lengthening or shortening.

Concentric Phase (unloading phase)-

The concentric phase of jumping is considered the unloading phase. This is where the muscles release all the stored energy created during the eccentric and isometric phases.

Many factors are involved in jump training. The type of individualized training, the age of the athlete, the condition of the athlete, and the weight of the athlete are only some of the factors that are taken into consideration.

Generally, the younger the athlete (Jump training is typically not encouraged before age 13) the more room for improvement in jump training. This is because the young athlete has not yet developed the power and speed necessary for the basics of jumping. Therefore, as power and speed increase, so will jump height. Sometimes improvements are very dramatic.

Conditioning is an important factor for expectations as well. If an individual is “out of shape” or has noticeable weaknesses in certain muscle groups, the potential for improvement is greater. It is when these issues are corrected that jump height increases rapidly. If the athlete is already in great shape, odds are the power and speed components are near their peak. Therefore, increases will be less noticeable.

Weight is also a factor. Simply said, the more you have, the harder it is to break gravity. Typically, a heavier athlete will need more power and speed than a lighter one to achieve that same vertical jump height.

The type of training also matters. There are a lot of jumping programs out there, mostly “cookie-cutter” programs. A generic program will help most athletes achieve some gain in vertical jumping height, but it will not help the same athlete reach their peak potential.

Why? Because most programs do not address the individual. Not every athlete has developed identically. Every athlete has a weakness somewhere. The key is to find that athlete's weaknesses and correct them. For example, “shifting”, “favoring”, and “rotational” weaknesses in form are not easy to spot. In order to help each athlete achieve their potential, it's imperative that errors like these be corrected.

So, what can an athlete expect from jump training? As one can see, the factors for improving jumping are many, and are specific to the individual. There is no single answer that can be applied to all athletes. Weaknesses in form and balance should never be overlooked. If they are, jump training will not be rewarding. Hard work and correct training are the only things that will send the athlete toward “their” personal potential.

*** These examples are athlete specific and are not meant for every person ***

*** No matter how advanced the athlete, even the most basic exercise needs to be performed and followed precisely ***

*** Cheating can lead to imbalances, pain or injury ***

*** If you perform these exercises, you do so at your own risk ***

It is very important to start slowly and pay attention to detail. By doing so, the athlete will prevent injury and maximized outcome. Starting slowly and focusing on correct form is of utmost importance. Starting slowly will also let the body adjust to the “shock” that occurs during training.

Let's discuss why static stretching should NOT be performed before the athlete's activity.

It reduces muscle strength by nearly 5.5% .1,2

It cuts muscle power by 2% .1,2

It reduces explosive muscular performance by nearly 3%.1,2

Research shows that it actually decreases the blood flow within your tissue creating localized
ischemia (a restriction in blood supply) and lactic acid buildup (which can be a source of muscle soreness). This can potentially cause irritation or injury of local muscular, tendinous, lymphatic, and neural tissues.3

Some findings have shown that static stretching a “cold” muscles can cause micro-tears in the muscles. Stretching within 60 minutes before the start of competition or training leads to micro tears in muscles and decreased force output. Peak force and rate of force may be reduced by a few percent. Strength decreases slightly up to an hour after long static stretching. Hence performance is decreased in endurance and speed /explosive events.4

Other studies have shown a decrease in strength and power by up to 30% after static stretching. Knee flexion and extension maximum performance measured 10 minutes after static stretching showed around an 8% decrease. After static stretching the calf muscles a reduction of ankle flexion torque was reduced by nearly 28%.5,6,7,8,9

Since we are talking about training for jumpers, it should be noted that other studies have demonstrated different performance outcomes between static stretching and dynamic stretching. These studies demonstrated that static stretching has a negative influence on vertical jumping performance, whereas dynamic stretching had a positive impact.

It was found that increased vertical jump performance after dynamic stretching may be attributed to a process called post-activation potentiation. This post-activation potentiation is a phenomenon in which the force exerted by a muscle is increased due to its previous contraction. The exact understanding of this process is beyond the scope of this discussion, but deals with the phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains, which renders actin-myosin more sensitive to calcium released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum during subsequent muscle contractions. Simply stated, it physiologically maximizes performance of the explosive activity.

The reduction in vertical jump performance after static stretching may be attributable to neurological impairment and a possible alteration in the viscoelastic properties of the muscular tendon unit.

References:

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research April 2013; 27(4):973-7.

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports March 2013; 23(2):131-48.